286:
entertainment to the public, but he did not seriously damage the witnesses' credit. His speech to the jury was praised for its eloquence, although he came close to admitting that adultery had been proved. On that basis he attacked the character of both husband and wife, describing Lady
Westmeath as an experienced woman of the world who had seduced a much younger man. Lord Westmeath, he described as a pleasure-loving and neglectful husband. As he quite fairly pointed out the picture of a happy marriage destroyed by the intrigues of Bradshaw did not explain the awkward fact that the couple had led separate lives for years before Bradshaw arrived on the scene.
330:
246:
pointedly that she (unlike some) was a virtuous wife. Although he was a rich man, financial motives may partly explain his decision to sue for criminal conversation, as he sought the (then) very large sum of £20,000 (on the other hand
Cavendish-Bradshaw was notoriously short of money, and probably never paid the damages). In any case, a successful verdict in such a suit was then a necessary first step towards divorce, and he did ultimately decide on the dissolution of the marriage.
217:. She was described as a young woman of "great beauty, education and high accomplishments" and was also wealthy. It was generally regarded as a love marriage, and according to the evidence from the criminal conversation action, the early years of the marriage were very happy. After about six years they parted, he living in Ireland, she in London. At an unknown date Maryanne became the lover of
27:
245:
husband was traditionally a figure of fun, and his wife's infidelity did expose
Westmeath to a good deal of ridicule, both among his neighbours and in the press. Even while exercising his official duties as a Colonel of Militia, when he accidentally entered the bedroom of a married woman, he was told
289:
Curran's eloquence had little effect: Yelverton in his summing up described the evidence as overwhelming and suggested that the damages should be very large. The jury found for the plaintiff and awarded him £10,000. Whether he actually recovered the damages is unclear, as
Bradshaw was a poor man all
285:
Five witnesses, all servants of the
Westmeaths, testified to actions which amounted to strong if circumstantial evidence of adultery (it was not the practice then in a divorce suit for the husband, wife or alleged lover to give evidence). Curran's cross-examination is said to have afforded great
669:
236:
There is no reason to doubt the claim made by Lord
Westmeath's counsel at the trial that he hesitated for a long time before deciding to end the marriage: divorce then invariably caused scandal, and the process was slow and expensive, requiring a
298:
The
Westmeaths were divorced by a private Act of Parliament later that year, and in November Maryanne and Bradshaw married. She long outlived both her husbands, dying in 1849, aged about 90. Bradshaw died in 1832, in relative poverty.
201:
As a young man, he was described as "gay, social and convivial". At the age of 24, he married
Maryanne Jeffries (or Jeffreyes), who was about a year older. She was the daughter of Major
44:
649:
282:
acting for the defendant. The trial aroused enormous public interest and the courtroom was packed, while it also received a great deal of publicity in the press.
674:
509:
162:
91:
606:
323:
63:
303:
226:
341:
255:
230:
133:
until 1792, was an Irish peer. He gained notoriety in his own lifetime, due to his unhappy first marriage to
Maryanne Jeffries, which ended in
404:"The Trial of an action for adultery brought by George Frederick Nugent, Earl of Westmeath against the Hon. Augustus C. Bradshaw" reported in
70:
644:
572:
340:
The younger George's marital career was no happier than his parents' had been: two of his three marriages ended in divorce. His first wife,
589:
150:
684:
634:
77:
351:
George had no son, and as both his half-brothers, Robert and Thomas had predeceased him without issue, the
Earldom passed to a cousin.
290:
his life, who spent years lobbying each government in turn for any lucrative office which might be vacant, and was invariably refused.
639:
562:
311:
259:
214:
326:; the others presumably died young. There were five children in the second marriage, Robert, Thomas, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary.
110:
664:
659:
654:
518:
497:
59:
549:
222:
541:
329:
48:
267:
348:, to help her husband's career, which suggests that Maryanne had no regrets about her own infidelity to George's father.
275:
537:
528:
679:
218:
84:
37:
238:
202:
178:
170:
126:
322:
While the trial records refer to several children of the first marriage, we know definitely of only one son,
190:
158:
488:
138:
344:, recalled indignantly that her mother-in-law Maryanne had suggested that she have an affair with the
629:
624:
523:
501:
279:
210:
580:
345:
185:
when it was first raised on 25 April 1793. In 1796 he was involved in suppressing a threatened
596:
307:
182:
174:
334:
271:
206:
154:
618:
670:
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies
153:, by his second wife Catherine White, daughter of Henry White of Pitchfordstown,
26:
263:
242:
186:
166:
134:
328:
177:
for Westmeath and Auditor of Foreign Accounts. He was appointed
302:
In 1797 Westmeath remarried Lady Elizabeth Moore, daughter of
137:, following a much-publicised legal action by the husband for
20:
333:
George, 1st Marquess of Westmeath as a child; portrait by
165:
from 1780 until 1792, when he succeeded his father in the
51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
306:and Lady Anne Seymour-Conway. He supported the
129:(18 November 1760 – 30 December 1814), styled
124:George Frederick Nugent, 7th Earl of Westmeath
8:
254:The case opened on 20 February 1796, before
213:, daughter of John FitzGibbon and sister of
173:the following year, and held the offices of
484:
262:. Each side had an impressive legal team:
406:Collected Speeches of John Philpot Curran
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
324:George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath
650:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
359:
304:Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda
227:Sarah Cavendish, 1st Baroness Waterpark
231:Richard Cavendish, 2nd Baron Waterpark
60:"George Nugent, 7th Earl of Westmeath"
149:Nugent was the only surviving son of
7:
151:Thomas Nugent, 6th Earl of Westmeath
49:adding citations to reliable sources
675:Members of the Irish House of Lords
260:Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
215:John Fitzgibbon, 1st Earl of Clare
14:
538:Stephen Francis William Fremantle
529:Stephen Francis William Fremantle
550:Parliament of the United Kingdom
223:Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet
25:
563:Representative peer for Ireland
314:. He died on 30 December 1814.
278:acting for the plaintiff faced
36:needs additional citations for
1:
268:Solicitor General for Ireland
645:People from County Westmeath
408:, New York 1811 Vol. 1 p.163
276:Attorney General for Ireland
169:. He became a member of the
219:Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw
145:Background and early career
701:
685:Westmeath Militia officers
635:Irish representative peers
370:107th Edition Vol.1 p. 865
640:19th-century Irish people
603:
594:
586:
579:
569:
560:
555:
548:
534:
508:Member of Parliament for
506:
494:
487:
312:Irish representative peer
239:private Act of Parliament
395:Quercus London 2009 p.98
203:James St John Jeffereyes
191:Irish rebellion of 1798
573:The Earl Mount Cashell
337:
159:Irish House of Commons
489:Parliament of Ireland
332:
139:criminal conversation
524:Gervase Parker Bushe
45:improve this article
665:Irish MPs 1790–1797
660:Irish MPs 1783–1790
655:Irish MPs 1776–1783
280:John Philpot Curran
211:Arabella Fitzgibbon
189:, a prelude to the
171:Irish Privy Council
680:Earls of Westmeath
581:Peerage of Ireland
346:Duke of Wellington
338:
613:
612:
604:Succeeded by
597:Earl of Westmeath
570:Succeeded by
535:Succeeded by
514:1780–1792
502:Cornelius O'Keefe
308:Act of Union 1800
229:, and brother of
221:, younger son of
183:Westmeath Militia
121:
120:
113:
95:
692:
587:Preceded by
519:James FitzGerald
498:James FitzGerald
495:Preceded by
485:
480:
474:
468:
462:
456:
450:
444:
437:
431:
424:
418:
415:
409:
402:
396:
389:
383:
377:
371:
364:
342:Lady Emily Cecil
175:Custos Rotulorum
157:. He sat in the
116:
109:
105:
102:
96:
94:
53:
29:
21:
700:
699:
695:
694:
693:
691:
690:
689:
615:
614:
609:
600:
592:
575:
566:
544:
540:
527:
522:
515:
513:
504:
500:
483:
477:Burke's Peerage
475:
471:
465:Burke's Peerage
463:
459:
453:Burke's Peerage
451:
447:
438:
434:
425:
421:
416:
412:
403:
399:
390:
386:
380:Burke's Peerage
378:
374:
368:Burke's Peerage
366:Mosley, editor
365:
361:
357:
320:
296:
256:Barry Yelverton
252:
199:
147:
117:
106:
100:
97:
54:
52:
42:
30:
17:
12:
11:
5:
698:
696:
688:
687:
682:
677:
672:
667:
662:
657:
652:
647:
642:
637:
632:
627:
617:
616:
611:
610:
605:
602:
593:
588:
584:
583:
577:
576:
571:
568:
559:
553:
552:
546:
545:
542:John Macartney
536:
533:
505:
496:
492:
491:
482:
481:
469:
457:
445:
432:
419:
410:
397:
384:
372:
358:
356:
353:
335:Gilbert Stuart
319:
316:
310:and became an
295:
292:
272:William Saurin
251:
248:
207:Blarney Castle
198:
195:
161:as member for
155:County Kildare
146:
143:
119:
118:
33:
31:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
697:
686:
683:
681:
678:
676:
673:
671:
668:
666:
663:
661:
658:
656:
653:
651:
648:
646:
643:
641:
638:
636:
633:
631:
628:
626:
623:
622:
620:
608:
607:George Nugent
599:
598:
591:
590:Thomas Nugent
585:
582:
578:
574:
565:
564:
558:
554:
551:
547:
543:
539:
532:
530:
525:
520:
512:
511:
503:
499:
493:
490:
486:
478:
473:
470:
466:
461:
458:
454:
449:
446:
442:
436:
433:
429:
423:
420:
414:
411:
407:
401:
398:
394:
388:
385:
381:
376:
373:
369:
363:
360:
354:
352:
349:
347:
343:
336:
331:
327:
325:
317:
315:
313:
309:
305:
300:
293:
291:
287:
283:
281:
277:
274:, the future
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
249:
247:
244:
240:
234:
232:
228:
224:
220:
216:
212:
208:
204:
196:
194:
192:
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
144:
142:
140:
136:
132:
128:
125:
115:
112:
104:
101:December 2022
93:
90:
86:
83:
79:
76:
72:
69:
65:
62: –
61:
57:
56:Find sources:
50:
46:
40:
39:
34:This article
32:
28:
23:
22:
19:
595:
561:
556:
517:
507:
476:
472:
464:
460:
452:
448:
440:
435:
427:
422:
413:
405:
400:
392:
387:
379:
375:
367:
362:
350:
339:
321:
301:
297:
288:
284:
253:
250:Civil action
235:
200:
148:
130:
123:
122:
107:
98:
88:
81:
74:
67:
55:
43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
630:1814 deaths
625:1760 births
393:Castlereagh
131:Lord Delvin
619:Categories
601:1792–1814
567:1800–1814
531:1790–1792
430:pp.168–175
391:Bew, John
355:References
264:John Toler
241:. Also, a
71:newspapers
16:Irish peer
557:New title
526:1783–1790
521:1780–1783
294:Aftermath
243:cuckolded
187:rebellion
443:pp.176–7
441:Speeches
428:Speeches
417:Bew p.98
197:Marriage
439:Curran
426:Curran
382:, p.865
181:of the
179:Colonel
167:earldom
135:divorce
85:scholar
516:With:
318:Family
266:, the
258:, the
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
479:p.865
467:p.865
455:p.865
92:JSTOR
78:books
510:Fore
270:and
225:and
209:and
163:Fore
64:news
205:of
47:by
621::
233:.
193:.
141:.
127:PC
114:)
108:(
103:)
99:(
89:·
82:·
75:·
68:·
41:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
